State of Emergency declared in Montgomery County

Flooding closes roads, forces evacuations

June 14, 2014

FONDA - A State of Emergency was declared for Montgomery County after heavy rainfall caused flooding, leading to closed roads and homes being evacuated.

County Executive Matthew Ossenfort declared the State of Emergency on Friday at 9 p.m. due to "severe damage to infrastructure" in the county, according to the declaration. The State of Emergency serves as a notice for all residents to avoid unnecessary travel in the county, the declaration said.

Montgomery County Emergency Management Officer Jeff Smith said flooding Friday led to an evacuation of five homes on Argersinger Road in the town of Root, and one home on Noonan Road in the town Amsterdam due to a partial collapse. No injuries were reported, he said.

The National Weather Service said flash flood warnings were issued late Friday for Fulton and Montgomery counties because of heavy rains earlier in the day.

John Quinlan, a meteorologist with the NWS, said Fulton County's flash flood warning was scheduled to last until 2:15 a.m. today, while Montgomery County's was scheduled to end at 10:45 p.m. Friday.

A strong cold front was expected to move across the region Friday night, with 0.75 to 1.5 inches of rain expected. That would be on top of around 1 to 2 inches of rain that hit both counties earlier in the day.

The storm is expected to end sometime this morning.

According to a Facebook post from Montgomery County Emergency Management, county DPW crews will be out early this morning checking roadways and repairing damage to road shoulders and culverts.

Montgomery County Sheriff Michael Amato said the Rural Grove Fire Station on Argersinger Road had flooded out, and Currytown Road had several feet of water on it.

Smith advised residents to call 911 in case of an emergency.

The State of Emergency will remain in effect for a maximum of 30 days, the declaration said.